Hi Tia, There must be enough roots in the pot/bog that the roots are growing in to support the top portion of the tree which you are severing from the trunk. This may be hard to judge if your new to bonsai and/or new to airlayers, so I suggest that even in your nice zone 9 climate (I am a chilly zone 5 and have much zone envy! :) that you still wait at least another 1 1/2-2 months. Its always safe to cut the off-spring from the parent when the bag/pot is FULL of roots. Right now they may just be visible because roots naturally grow outward, so they hit the side of the bag or pot and grow down (or up sometimes). I am sure that behind those roots is a lot of soil that needs to be filled with roots before you make the cut. You gotta have lots of patience with airlayers...its almost impossible (with excpetions of course!) to wait too long, but very easy to kill the new tree and jump on it too quick. I airlayer about 12-15 trees minimum a year. I am airlayering a trident with a 8 inch trunk...it already has one year under its belt, but not enough roots. After this season, in the fall, I will severe the tree from the parent. Just my suggestions... Matt Ouwinga P.S. did you see my post a few weeks back of the process of severing a trident maple airlayer with 4 inch trunk from the parent stock?

Jen, I have been incrediblylucky then to always have blossoms each year. They really are my favorite. As to thr leaves being misshaped, I just thought that it was due to the damage the year before. I noticed this last winter that I lost a lot of the leaves too, which normally didn't (at least before now) happen. I am hoping it is simply a response from the damage. To this date, I still do not know what had actually caused the sudden browning and limp leaves. I am guessing that it was due to a cold/freezing spell that I missed, yet I did not have any black tip as a result! In fact, my one potted Singapore, which was against the very same wall, but not protected by the house, was just fine, while the other 3 had the damage you see above. Unortunately, the potted one below is the one severely damaged by the wind this year. This photo was taken the same day as the one above, all this tree shows is some sunburn on the leaves. I am contemplating moving them under my patio that has a cover, maybe at the corner, where it still gets sun. I guess it couldn't hurt! That or keeping it against the house, under the eves... But then I wouldn't be able to see it when I look out my window! BY THE WAY, what kind of compost would you use? I would like to add compost to my large planter that has 8 plumeria in it, but was wondering what I should use. Jennifer

If you do a regular air layer, the bottom of the plant retains it's viability - especially if you layer the top off above a lower branch. Also, because the downward flow of auxin (remember, auxin helps to inhibit lateral breaks/side branches) is eliminated by ringing and partially eliminated by constriction, your tree will often back-bud from a bare trunk while a layer is under way. Caity - those small side branches can be layered like this: Start with a small plastic pot (a pint or half pint black poly nursery can is ideal, like the ones providing a home for 4 different kinds of mint in the pic above (I even pinch & prune my mint plants). Melt two 1/4" holes (or whatever is appropriate) through the sides exactly opposite each other halfway between the bottom of the pot and the rim. Then, use tin snips or equal to cut a slit from the rim directly above the hole to the hole. The idea is to have a living branch pass through the soil that will eventually fill the pot - in one hole and out the other. You might need to make the vertical cut from the rim to the hole a little wider than a slit by making 2 cuts and removing a little material. OK - I just made a mock-up so you can see what I mean: Before you get this far, you should have figured out how you're going to situate the layering container so it doesn't get knocked around. You can often tie it to the trunk or hang it from another branch. If you're using water-retentive soil, make sure you use a wick because 'cuttings' & 'soggy' don't go well together. After you get this far, you simply fill the pot with soil and keep it moist. Cutting some flaps of bark all the way down to sapwood helps to hasten rooting - especially if you apply an appropriate rooting hormone to the wounds. Wedge a small pebble or toothpick under the flaps of bark to hold them open. When layering smaller twigs, just scrape the bark off by holding a sharp knife 90* to the twig and scraping it. Before you add soil to the pot, wrap some tape around it (the pot) to keep the soil from leaking out of the vertical slits you made from rim to the hole you drilled or melted in the pot. Al

PW - Thanks for the kind words! also PPE - I received your recent message. I've been very busy with spring pruning/ repotting, which is why I haven't yet expressed my gratitude, but I will. Thank you - I was moved! Is there any downside to starting the layer via ringing method up to a year before I plan to prune + pot the propagule? There is no question things will move along much faster if the layering takes place with the plant outdoors, but you can start the layer a month or so before you expect to move it outdoors, which can be done A) when nights are reliably above 55*F, or B) by moving the plant in and out as temperatures allow (should be above 55*). Is it okay to keep it on over the winter? It depends on where the layer is located on the plant. Since you'll be cutting through the phloem tissue, you'll be cutting off flow of photosynthate from all foliage distal to the layer to roots. So, if the layer is on the main stem proximal to all foliage, there is a very good chance that the plant's root system could die; however, if you are layering the main stem distal to other branches on the stem, it wouldn't be a problem. It's best to start preparing for the layer in early to mid-spring and plan on separating the layer in mid to late summer. Faster is better because it decreases the probability of a fungal pathogen gumming up the plumbing before new roots have an opportunity to form a connection to the propagule's existing vasculature. Does layering on the main stem of a plant have any effect on the growth rate above? Yes. How much, depends on what fraction of the flow of photosynthate (food) is being cut off by the layer. If you have 10 branches below the layer on a main stem, it won't have much impact on growth rate. If you are air layering the main stem at a point proximal to all, the effect on growth rate would be greater. In any case, the reduction in growth rate should be temporal; this, because the layer also blocks the polar flow of auxin (it moves from shoots to roots only). With the flow of auxin reduced to almost nil, auxin's inhibitory effect on new lateral branching will be almost entirely eliminated (in apically dominant plants), so foliage on the new branches will start to provide a net return on energy outlay when the first of the new leaves are about 75% mature. Al